A local church is urging its members to permanently remove books from the Shelby County Public Library by checking them out and never returning them. The books portray gay characters and historical figures or explore LGBTQ+ themes.

Pamela Wilson Federspiel, who has been director of the library in downtown Shelbyville for 34 years, says the action is tantamount to “stealing.”

But three leaders of the Reformation Church of Shelbyville defend what they call an “act of civil disobedience.”

    • uhdeuidheuidhed@thelemmy.club
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      2 days ago

      I didn’t really read this, but it might not be that simple.

      Most libraries will actually let you check out books “indefinitely,” as long as you come back and renew every once in awhile.

      If this church is splitting up checking out these books among different members, then it would be very difficult for a library to properly detect and enforce restrictions on them.

      Even if the library could identify these people and put methods in place to stop them from what they’re doing, it would still be a hassle and the church could be happy with just inconveniencing the ‘liberal’ library.

  • Freefall@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Bill them fees. Then take them to court when they don’t pay and if they do pay use the money to buy more of the books. These are fools that are used to being milked like cattle…use it for good.

  • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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    2 days ago

    There’s a nice wall over there perhaps some of these people would like to lean on it. And then I have these exciting pieces of lead I wish to introduce them to

  • Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml
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    2 days ago

    There are two groups here. One wants to be allowed to live their lives in peace and one wants to control you. The press and the ones that want to control you you have twisted it and it’s infuriating.

    • Jerkface (any/all)@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      It’s a fucked up state of affairs when people think putting pineapple on a pizza is worse than putting the secretions and flesh of vulnerable individuals who suffered cruelty and violence under atrocity on a pizza.

  • Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip
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    3 days ago

    That’s theft. There’s nothing CIVIL about trying to erase the presence of a particular group of people from society …

  • Saleh@feddit.org
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    3 days ago

    Civil disobedience and “petty crime” aren’t mutually exclusive. It is integral to civil disobedience that laws are broken. Also there is probably a difficulty and lots of legal debate about when violating a civil contract, borrowing an item for a specified time, becomes theft of the item by not returning it.

    I think non of these should be the question here though. It is simply a dick move.

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Theft, plain and simple. The only hope is that they actually read those books and learn something.

    Maybe the library should raise and enforce their late-return-fees…